5 exciting things happening in Barcelona in 2016

Barcelona is a vibrant seaside city rich with culture. Throughout the year festivals and events bring visitors from all around the world. Here are some of the most exciting events to look forward to in 2016!

1. Benicassim Festival
Festival Internacional de Benicassim is a four day music festival that takes place between Barcelona and Valencia. This year’s festival will be held on the weekend of the 14^th-17^th of July. Some of the musical artists already confirmed include Bloc Party, Major Lazer, Jamie XX, Kendrick Lamar, Mac DeMarco and Delorean. The festival focuses on rock, pop and electronic music, but it also features fashion shows, art and short films.

2. Barcelona International Film Festival
Every year the Barcelona International Film Festival seeks out undiscovered filmmaking and screen writing talent from around the world. The best films from over 50 different countries are chosen and showcased, and awards are given in several categories including Documentaries, Short Films, Music Videos, Animations and Feature Films. The date of this year’s event is June 17, 2016.

3. Alimentaria Festival
Alimentaria is an International Food and Drink Exhibition that is one of the biggest events in the world for the culinary industry. It has been held every two years in Barcelona since 1976 and this year it will take place from the 25^th to 28^th of April. It combines both a food show and a trade fair, making it a great place to try delicious new dishes, and to learn about product innovations. There will be plenty of tasting sessions, competitions, activities and much more.

4. Spanish Grand Prix
From 13th to 15th May you can be a part of the thrilling atmosphere of the Spanish Grand Prix. The fans are always passionate, creating an exciting vibe around the track. The racetrack Montmelo is located only 30 minutes northeast of Barcelona and there are transfers offered by Grand Prix Events.

5. Voll-Damm Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona
Barcelona has hosted a fantastic international jazz festival for 47 years, which takes place in venues all over the city. This year’s festival will be held in late October to early November, with exact dates announced closer to the time. It has gained a reputation as one of the best jazz events in Europe and features a jam packed schedule of master classes and concerts. Some of the previous headliners have included Diana Krall, Kings of Convenience and Jimmy Cobb.

What are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!
Jack Huang is CEO of Truly Experiences

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How to Travel Cheaply During the Festive Season

Brits are becoming more adventurous travellers during the Christmas break, opting for cities which are further away from the UK. At KAYAK, we know airfares during the festive period are notoriously more expensive than the rest of the year. So, to help navigate this, we analysed millions of flight searches to provide an insight to help you find the best offers. We put together a list of the top 10 most popular destinations to fly to this Christmas and the best days to travel to save significant amounts of cash – up to 60% on airfares! Now you can spend more money on presents and mulled wine instead.
Our stats revealed that the lively metropolis of Bangkok is the number one destination for Brits during the festive period, with the winter wonderland of New York coming in second as Brits hit the Big Apple for its famous attractions, including ice-skating in Central Park and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Extravagant Dubai takes third place with its luxurious shopping malls. Next up is the sandy beaches of Sydney for those wanting a sunny break during the celebrations this year.

Smart planning and flexibility on travel dates is essential for those of you who want to save on costs, so we had our data experts crunch the numbers to find the cheapest days to depart and return for the top 10 most popular destinations. The best departure day for Bangkok is Monday, with a return flight on a Tuesday, giving you savings of up to 17% on the airfare per person in comparison to other dates. For a trip to sunny Orlando, departing and returning on a Tuesday will save 36% per person, and for Sydney, departing on a Monday and returning on a Wednesday can result in impressive savings of 60% on airfares.



If you haven’t booked yet, but want to keep tabs on the airfare to your desired destination over Christmas, you can sign up to Price Alerts . This will keep you in the loop on flight and hotel offers and let you know when to book to get the best price for your flights and accommodation.
©Jiri Vaclavek/shutterstock

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Five Fabulous Autumn Walks in Cumbria

Five Fabulous Autumn Walks in Cumbria

By Beth Pipe

“The summer sun is fading as the year grows old”

I perhaps shouldn’t start a piece about autumn walks by setting the literary bar quite so high, but Forever Autumn by Justin Hayward captures the season beautifully – I mean, who doesn’t want to kick their way through autumn’s golden gown?
Autumn in Cumbria isn’t just about the beautiful woodlands though – the fells change colour with the bracken turning from luscious green to russet brown, the autumnal tides are higher and the chips on the prom taste sweeter when there’s a chill in the air. Then there are the inversions – a speciality of spring and autumn when the night-time temperatures trap dense fogs in the valleys, leaving the fell tops crystal clear and magical.
Here are five of my favourite autumn walks in the county – all of them lie near or along existing Contours Walking Holiday routes and make for a perfect short diversion – just be sure to pack a camera, as you’ll be wanting to take plenty of pictures!

1. The Langdale Valley.

There are a number of fabulous family walks along the Langdale Valley, and the best part is that they start and end at a rather lovely pub. Park up in the National Trust car park next to the Sticklebarn and head off on a lovely looped walk along the valley floor. The route is broad and easy to follow, with only about 20 metres of road walking in total.
If you fancy something a little more challenging, you can take the clearly marked route up to Stickle Tarn, but don’t come down the way you came; instead, take a short walk across to the Dungeon Gyll and come down that way. It’s steep but easy to follow and offers spectacular views back to Stickle Ghyll.

Or for something completely different (and definitely more strenuous) take a hike to the top of Pike O’Blisco for breathtaking views of the Langdale Pikes in all their autumnal glory.
The woodlands and bracken around the valley create a riot of autumnal colours, and there’ll be a big bowl of homemade soup waiting for you in the pub when you’re done.

2. Grange and Hampsfell

“I watch the birds fly south across the autumn sky…”  See – I’m at it again! But Grange prom and Hampsfell are perfect places to sit and watch migrating birds coming and going along the estuary.
Hampsfell is a small hike with big views. Take a route up through Eggerslack Woods and on to the Hospice at the top. From there, the panoramic views stretch from Skiddaw in the north to Blackpool Tower in the south. If you can resist kicking through the autumnal leaves as you wander through the woods, you might just spot a deer or two.

Once you’re done, head back down into the village, nip into the chippy for a freshly cooked fish supper and take it down to the prom. There you will find plenty of benches to sit and watch the migrating birds coming and going along the estuary as the sun goes down. It’s worth checking the tide times too; as the autumnal high tides race in, they push the wading birds closer to the shore and your chippy tea can be enjoyed against a soundtrack of oystercatchers and curlews.

3. Red Screes

If you wake up and the weather outside looks foggy and grey, leap into the car with a hot flask of coffee and a big bag of sarnies and take off for Red Screes – one of the very best places to see an inversion. I always think Red Screes is a bit of a cheat of a fell because you can drive halfway up it, but the views are spectacular.
Wind your way up Kirkstone Pass and park in the car park opposite the Kirkstone Pass Inn (handy for a good meal afterwards). From there, take the signposted footpath at the far end of the car park and follow it all the way up onto the summit (it’s very clear the whole way up with stone steps for much of the way, but still be sure to go properly clothed and equipped). By now you should have popped out of the top of the inversion and can enjoy a day of brilliant sunshine and magnificent views, while everyone else blunders around in the fog down below.

If you’re particularly lucky you may even get to see a Broken Spectre, where the sun creates a rainbow around your shadow as it reflects off the nearby clouds.

4. Burns Beck Moss

This is one that most people never see – it’s a tiny little tucked-away Cumbria Wildlife Trust nature reserve, around 5 miles east of Kendal (just south of Killington Reservoir if you’re trying to find it on a map). There’s a very short waymarked route around the site which won’t take you long at all, but in the autumn it’s a good old mish mash of coloured grasses and golden waterlillies.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, grab your map and check out the walks over to the Lune Valley and Killington village – there are superb views of the Howgills, a much underrated group of hills which look particularly pretty when it snows.

This really is a very quiet and out-of-the-way walk, and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll have the whole place to yourselves (unless we’re there).

5. Wansfell

I absolutely love Wansfell in the autumn – there’s just something about the colours there that makes the place special. The route from Town End is such a clear, broad track that you can enjoy the sunset from High Skelghyll (a perfect picnic spot) and still make it safely back to the car (assuming you’ve taken a torch).
The views from Wansfell will take your breath away; it’s one of the finest fell-spotting spots in Cumbria – from Red Screes to the north, around to the Langdale Pikes and Bow Fell in the west and the Coniston Fells further south – and all with Windermere stretching away below.

There is also an assortment of routes leading directly out of Ambleside to the summit – which means they also lead directly back into Ambleside and the many pubs and restaurants there, should you require some post-hike sustenance. Not that I’m obsessed with food and drink or anything…

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Amazing Stunning Natural Scenery in America

Spend a Romantic Evening at Yellow Treehouse Restaurant

It has been seen that most of the couples tend to put a lot of effort in finding a private space, where they can spend time with each other. And, there are many places to enjoy around the world. Out of those places, we are introducing one such unique and amazing place situated in north of Auckland, New Zealand, which will be proved as stunning to the young lovers as well as adults and it’s sure, this restaurant will make a special and impressive place in their heart. Any guess…???

We are talking about the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant, the childhood dream of the Pacific Environments Architects Pvt. Ltd. that has come true. The striking pod-shaped structure constructed ten meters high on the Redwood tree and with the help of plantation poplar planks and redwood balustrade, it has been made. Overall, the construction is very simple, but the result is an ultimate.

The two rounded parts of the pod are accessed through an elevated “Gulam Path” that fits the entire restaurant perfectly. During the night, both, the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant, and the path are lighted by warm-colored lights, which render a romantic and natural shine that you completely dive into the ambianceof the restaurant.

Dining Experience

As we further move to its dining, it offers private dining for any celebration, whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, planning to purpose or simply wanting to share a special meal with friends, the restaurant will definitely make them spectacular that become memorable forever. But, to experience all these things, you have to do advance booking for your celebration.

Along with a unique dining experience, the guests can explore the magnificent Matakana and Warkworth area. They can enjoy a day out fishing or visiting the neighboring wineries before they settle in for an evening of fine dining. The treehouse can accommodate 30 guests for a seated meal or 50 for a more casual stand-up function.

The entire venue is licensed and has a dedicated private road entry. The catering facility is organized via their three preferred suppliers to manage all on-site catering and make sure the guests that each and every moment with the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant is special for them. This treehouse is an ideal place for the couples and definitely a breath of the fresh air, which is carefully and successfully integrated into the landscaped and provides full functionality of a restaurant that is something more by the unusual location and shape.

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stunning beauty in singapore

Haw Par Villa, Singapore

 Reflections at Keppel Bay

 Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore

 The Interlace, Singapore

 Sentosa Island, Singapore

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6 Famous Restaurants in Ajmer for Dine Out

Ajmer- A city of the great emperor Prithviraj Chauhan, is one of the finest tourist places in Rajasthan. As every tour is incomplete without tasty and healthy food, we can not skip mentioning the best restaurants in Ajmer that serve delectable cuisines. With a perfect amalgamation of street food and fine dining, the eateries here respect the taste of a diversified range of tourists and make them feel gratified after experiencing the meal.

There are a number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants out there, which have several options to choose from. After exploring the area entirely, we have come up with a couple of best restaurants in the city that we would like to share with you people to make the rest of your Ajmer trip a bit more joyful.

List of Best Veg and Non-veg Restaurants in Ajmer

1. MANGO MASALA

Categorized as one of the top-rated non-veg restaurants in Ajmer, this small eatery is located roadside at Kutchery Road. A diner and a coffee house, Mango Masala is a complete family restaurant with rich Indian and international varieties. They are famous for making tasty vegetarian dishes in the designed wooden fired ovens. As far as the aura is concerned, the place features a bar-like atmosphere, which comprises an ambience for the set of people having different tastes and ages. The must try out cuisines include Manchurian, Sizzlers, Pizza, and the Indian Thali. Interestingly, the restaurant has a memory wall where customers can express their cherishable moments in the form of personalized notes about the place and valuable comments about the services rendered.

2. AMBROSIA

A fine roof-top restaurant placed at hotel Ambassador is totally a charmer at the dusky hours. The area is divided in a small hut like structures having white curtains and shimmery lanterns all around. The beautiful cityscape views make the place even more beautiful and on top of that, the light melodies and dim light are good enough to make up anyone’s mood.

The restaurant has three different dining areas- an inside dining area, cute desert-camp styled cabanas, and a garden area offering food on counters. A couple of its adorable dishes are Kebabs, Corn vegetable, Tanatan Chat, and Smoked Chach. On an all, it’s perfect for an evening meal with your close ones.

3. HONEYDEW

A well-recognized eatery in Ajmer, the Honeydew restaurant has been established 3 decades back and located at the station road. As the eatery has a successful history, the name itself is enough to describe the palatable dishes of the place. Not just limited to the vegetarian cuisines, the menu card of Honeydew has got rich non-veg stuff as well as per the tastes of the customers. Though, a large portion covers the Indian food.

When it comes to defining the ambience, the place is extremely pleasant and hygienic. Its well-known dishes comprises of Chicken Kalimiri, Tandoori Chicken, Mutton Seekh, and Fish Fingers in the non-veg segment while the vegetarian one includes Kadhai Veg and Veg Biryani.

4. CHITVAN

Located on the outskirts, the Chitvan is best for long distance journeys from Jaipur to Ajmer or vice-versa. A completely veg restaurant is well popular among the daily or frequent travellers on this route. As per the ambience aspect, the restaurant has a very pleasant decor and fine environment, which is totally a mood-maker. Apart from the great hospitality services, it has Malai Kofta, Dal Makhani, Garlic Tandoori Naan, and Matar Paneer beneath the most adored food section. The place also has a giant playing area for children.

5. MANGO CURRY

Very close to the bus station, the Mango Curry has a broad category of veg and non-veg dishes. Though all the cuisines are by far best in taste, but Pizzas are in huge demand among the localites and one of the restaurant’s hottest serving menu items.

Coming over to the ambience, the interiors are decorated with trendy, colorful walls. The soft music and dim lighting set an exotic atmosphere all around. Besides Pizzas, Chinese cuisines and Sizzlers are also in popular demand over there. As per the non-veg main course, they have Chicken Maratha, Laal Maas, Kadhai Chicken, Keema Naan, and Mutton Biryani as the prominent palatable items.

6. RASOI

Rasoi is a themed veg restaurant in Ajmer that offers a unique dining experience to the customers with a wide range of Indian, Rajasthani, Continental, Italian, South Indian, and Chinese dishes. The theme of a metro train is quite impressive and it has got large LED’s on the walls beside each table that displays the rich monuments of the ‘Dharti of Mewar’. Fully air-conditioned, the aura inside the eatery arguably grabs the eyeballs.

As far as the service is concerned, you would certainly feel satisfied after walking out of the restaurant. The speciality of the place is the authentic Rajasthani food, which has the whole Rajasthani Thali, Kaju and Khoya gravies, Dal Bukhara, and Paneer Tufani as the main delights.

Also, there is a coffee bar that serves an extensive range of coffees, sundaes, and desserts.

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The Garhwal Himalayas a Year After The Uttarakhand Floods.

I’ve never travelled in my own backyard. Born and brought up in the valley of Dehradun, I’ve always wondered what lay beyond the mountains I could see from my terrace. And last month, I finally decided to find out. I made my way up to the villages beyond Uttarkashi, and down via Mussoorie, transfixed by the majesty of the Garhwal Himalayas, as much as by the conviction of the locals to move on after the devastating Uttarakhand floods of 2013. I’ll let these pictures tell you their stories.

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1. BY THE RIVER GANGA, I SAT DOWN AND READ
near Rishikesh, imagining how this fercious river must have risen to take down parts of the higher mountains.

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2. WIFI, WORK AND THE ROARING GANGA BELOW
at my hideout at Rainforest House, half an hour out of Rishikesh.

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3. FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE GARHWAL HIMALAYAS
on my journey from Rishikesh towards Uttarkashi. These naturally-terraced mountains, lush green with charming little villages, are nothing like I’ve seen before.

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4. FRESHWATER POOLS MADE BY THE ASI GANGA
in the Garhwal Himalayas, a hike up from the villages beyond Uttarkashi.

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5. CATCHING UP ON LIFE
amid these pristine landscapes, with not another soul in sight.

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6. MEETING AN 80+ YEAR OLD COUPLE
from Kuflon village; she was 11 and he 17 when they got married. They witnessed the grounds shake and the waters rise last year, and took it in their stride. Ganga Singh and his wife still choose to live without electricity (with only a solar lamp), away from their kids, and have much laughter in their lives. Makes you realize how little you need to be happy!

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7. VILLAGES IN THE GARHWAL HIMALAYAS
are small close-knit communities, where everyone knows everyone else and the village gossip. The village of Kuflon, for instance, is home to only 8-9 families, and in times of tragedy, they look out for each other.

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8. SAMPLING LOCALLY GROWN FOOD
like the fern, which grows wild in the forest, takes a trained eye to identify, and tastes delicious!

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9. MY HOME IN THE MOUNTAINS
at Kuflon; a perfect hideout set up by a couple who gave up their corporate jobs in the cities for the solitude of the Himalayas. They were in Dehradun when the floods hit, and couldn’t make it home for a month and a half because the bridge leading here got washed away.

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10. HANGING OUT BY THE RIVER
with a yoga instructor and new-found friend, down the road from Kuflon, marveling at the sheer intensity of the river that shook the foundation of the might Himalayas. Flash foods have been common in these parts for a long time, but irresponsible pilgrimage tourism has certainly taken its toll on these mountains.

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11. A BLANK CANVAS AND THE HIMALAYAS FOR INSPIRATION
; here words almost flow faster than thoughts!

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12. THE PRISTINE GANGA FOR COMPANY
on my way down to Landour, near Mussoorie. The winding mountain roads, both via Rishikesh and Mussoorie, have been rebuilt in most parts and work is in progress in the remaining rough patches.

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13. MY ABODE IN THE HEART OF LANDOUR
at La Villa Bethany. It has been restored by a couple to its original glory, and sustains itself almost completely with rainwater harvesting, solar energy and organic farming. It’s the conviction of people like these that gives me faith that our mountains will survive.

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A note on the Uttarakhand floods: The floods of 2013 washed away much in these pretty villages and valleys, and while the damages are still visible, most of the roads and major bridges have been rebuilt and are safe for travelling. The locals are slowly rebuilding their lives, and the best time to travel into Garhwal is now, when tourism can really help restore the local village economies.

The best way to travel from Dehradun / Rishikesh / Mussoorie to Uttarkashi is by the Vishwanath Seva semi-deluxe bus.

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What are (were) your impressions of the Garhwal Himalayas?

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